Unable to ignore the insistent knocking, Dean Winchester opens the hotel room door in the middle of the night to find a small kid with dark hair and blue eyes staring up at him. Blue eyes that begin to look remarkably familiar as they stare into his own. Because they’re the eyes of the very angel that pulled Dean out of hell less than a year ago. Only, how did Cas who is not only an angel but also an adult the last time Dean checked end up in a little kid body that appears to be all too human? Dean and Sam try to figure it out, but every time Castiel even begins to think about how he ended up this way, he becomes terrified. Time to get help from elsewhere, then, but in the meantime, they’ve got a kid to feed, clothe, and generally take care of . . . and it seems that he’s become awfully attached to Dean.

I absolutely loved this story. I have a weakness for de-aged characters, I know; they’re just too adorable. And this story has just the right amount of cuteness and fluff while still having actual plot as well. It’s a great balance. Human/kid Castiel was really well written, with enough Cas to be believable but enough memory loss and humanity to be really adorable as well. In general, the author just did an amazing job with the characters. The way Dean behaves around the kid is so very Dean–I love how he is around kids in the show, and this fic captures that side of his character so well. The contrast with how Sam handles kids adds an amusing counterpoint, also very in character. The author also has some great insights into other aspects of their characters, like the way the two of them approach jobs and problems differently; it was quite interesting to read. I found the choice of timing (for when this falls in the series) to be interesting as well, both in the fact that they know Cas and have been working with him, but he’s not exactly family yet, and in the way it allows the story to deal with Dean’s guilt over what happened in hell while it’s painfully fresh to him. Added bonus–we get Missouri Moseley and Bobby Singer in the same fic, and both of them are also excellently written and in character. And have I mentioned that the writing itself is just fabulous, fun, and easy to read? Entertaining Angels is an adorable, well-written Supernatural fic that I absolutely recommend, and I will be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

When Sam and Dean Winchester were in Camelot–summoned there by Merlin himself to help handle a supernatural threat dragged over from their world into his–they gave Merlin some advice. Sound advice, probably, but advice he’s having an awfully hard time following through with, nevertheless. Because the brothers told Merlin to take fate into his own hands (yay, Team Free Will!), trust Arthur, and tell the king his secret–that Merlin has magic. Only, telling Arthur goes against everything Merlin’s been raised to do since he was a child, against everything the Great Dragon has told him to do. Not an easy decision to make. . . . So when Merlin does decide to go to Arthur about his magic, he is understandably nervous about the whole thing.

I loved this short fanfic exceedingly, as I did the previous volume in this collection, Men of Legend. Unlike the first volume, The Butterfly Effect is really just a Merlin story, with the SPN part limited to references to Sam and Dean’s time in Camelot–although those references are important since they influence not only Merlin’s decision but also Arthur’s and Gwaine’s reactions. I love the way we get a chapter each from Gwaine’s, Merlin’s, and Arthur’s POV, with each bleeding into the next a bit and giving a different perspective on the events as they unfold. And I love (and this is something I love about this author’s work in general, not just in this story) the insights into the characters that we get–the motivations behind Merlin’s fear, the loyalty and insight hidden behind Gwaine’s usual goofiness, the wisdom and understanding of Gwen, the uncertainty of Arthur and the tiny things that shape his decisions. It’s those insights that transform this from just another fanfic to something powerful and lasting. Another thing I loved about this story is the fact that Merlin actually tells Arthur about his magic. Like, that never happens. In almost every magic reveal I’ve ever read, as well as in canon, Merlin is forced to reveal his magic, shows Arthur by accident, something along those lines. He almost never willingly trusts his friend with his deepest, scariest secret, even though that is the way that it should happen. So it’s nice to see these friends getting it right. Fabulous story, and I’m hoping for a sequel!

On the way back to Camelot after ridding an outlying village of dangerous monster (and of course, Arthur just had to leave his nice magic sword home when dealing with a scary magic monster), the king and his knights find themselves ambushed. Arthur finds himself separated from his knights by a magical wall of fire, and naturally, Merlin finds a way through the fire wall to Arthur, is unwilling to risk Arthur’s life by fighting, drinks the poison that suppresses his magic, and gets himself stuck in a dungeon with his king (who is also his best friend, whether he admits it or not). And oh hey, they’re not actually after Arthur at all; they want Emrys and his powers at their beck and call. Oops. Merlin may not get out of this one with his secret intact.

I have to say that I really love the way this author writes Merlin and Arthur. I mean, the writing style in general is fabulous–easy to read and grammatically correct, yes, but also just really fun to read. But beyond that, the characters are excellent. They are definitely in character, but more than that, they are the best of their characters. You get tons of Merlin sass and a good bit of Arthur attitude as well. What’s more, you get inside Merlin’s head, so you get all his little sarcastic comments to himself that are just brilliantly funny. And the bromance between them portrayed here is great–the same feeling as the best parts of the show and their interactions there. While the other characters are not involved in this story as much (what with Merlin and Arthur being locked up together then traveling together for a good chunk of the story), when they do show up, they also evoke the best of their characters in the show, the things about them that I love the most. As for the plot, it’s a nice balance of whump and hurt/comfort combined with adventure. There’s enough actual plot to keep things interesting, and it’s really cool to see Arthur’s development as he adjusts his ideas regarding magic and actually communicates with the magic users in his kingdom. Plus, you’ve got a really awesome battle scene at the end which is quite original and engaging and generally amazing. Merlin is totally badass, and it’s super cool. I think Facing the Truth exemplifies the best of a lot of the things I love most about the Merlin fandom, and as such, I would highly recommend it.

Merlin told Arthur it was a bad idea–not that Arthur listened. Did he ever? No, but of course they have to get a small group of knights together to go after the patrol that went missing, and of course Arthur has to go along. Never mind that they know nothing about what they’re getting into or that Gaius can’t even find any solid information on the area or that the few rumors that have turned up are anything but reassuring. In the “no one ever returns from there” kind of way. Naturally, Merlin can’t let his dollop-headed prince go on this suicidal mission without him, so he joins Arthur, Gwaine, Elyan, and Lancelot on their journey. Good thing, too; for once, Arthur may discover just how much he needs his manservant around.

I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy BeyondTheStorm’s writing (such as Healing Spells), and Beyond the Vale may just be my favorite of this author’s stories to date. There are just so many aspects of it that are really enjoyable. The writing style is quite pleasant to read, for one, and it captures Merlin’s sass nicely. The choice of characters to involve in this story was interesting, but I found I liked the dynamics of this particular group. Seeing more of Lancelot and Elyan, in particular, was fun, and I always love when Gwaine is involved in a Merlin fic. Everyone felt in character, and it was really neat to see the character development over the course of the story. There were some well-written and interesting original characters as well who added a lot to the story. Actually, that’s another thing I like about this particular author’s work: there are almost always great OCs who have a lot of character development and who are integral to the plot (which is also usually quite complex and developed, yay!). I found the author’s choice to make this story a reveal of a lot of what Merlin has done for Arthur and for Camelot without revealing that he has magic to be very interesting. But you know what? It works. And it’s cool to see Arthur and the knights (even Lancelot, who knows about Merlin’s magic) truly appreciate the kind of person Merlin is and the sacrifices he’s made–without the complications of betrayal and such that bringing his magic into the picture entails. I enjoyed seeing the relationship developments that occurred as a result. And yes, the plot! Fascinating story drenched in history, with plenty of mystery and tension to go around. The story is very well developed and executed. Highly recommended.

Fed up with the difficulties he’s had disposing of one brat–the young wizard Harry Potter–Voldemort crosses time itself to form a dark alliance with Nimue, High Priestess of the Old Religion, combining forces to also help her with her own personal annoyance, the warlock Merlin. Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione find themselves stepping out of Hogwarts and into the past, meeting the man who is a legend in their time . . . only Merlin isn’t quite what they were expecting. He’s young and clumsy and a servant, while they were expecting someone old and imposing. Oh, and the king he’s supposed to advise and help isn’t even king yet and he has no idea that Merlin even has magic! Still, Harry and his friends come to see the greatness of the man of legend buried beneath the youthful exterior, and they and Merlin soon become fast friends. Which is good, because they’re going to have to work together if they are to survive the dark machinations of Nimue and Voldemort.

Emachinescat is a wonderful author, and I love everything I’ve read of hers. Having said that, I think The Most Deadly Alliance is one of my favorites. The premise and all the interlocking pieces of time travel and legend are just fascinating. But even more than that, the little choices of the timing within each story, the characters to involve, the details that are drawn in–it’s all expertly executed. I loved how well thought out the character interactions were. The people involved behaved in character, even when it made them clash or seem abrasive. And the people who should have hit it off with each other did so. There were even instances where character interactions caused changing points of view. (Arthur’s interactions with Hermione and his changing views because of that, notably, although Harry’s relationship with Morgana is also a great case in point. Actually, the development between Harry and Morgana may have been one of my favorite parts of the story, which kind of surprised me.) All of that was just crafted in a very credible and in-character way that I truly enjoyed greatly. Additionally, the larger-scale story was interesting–the tension and mystery, the complications of time travel, the flaws in Voldemort and Nimue’s alliance, all of it worked well and was fun to read. The writing style itself was also quite excellent, being fluid and natural and easy to read. On a technical side, there were a couple of chapters where chunks of text were transposed into the wrong place (like, into the middle of another paragraph or even into the middle of a sentence), making the reader have to sort through what is supposed to go where. But it’s all there if you’re willing to figure it out, and it’s only in a few places–probably a tech issue in the editing or uploading process. If not for that, I would have given The Most Deadly Alliance a whole 5 of 5 rating, but as-is, it’s still a new favorite of mine that I would highly recommend.

With Gaius away to help a village dealing with a mysterious outbreak of illness, Merlin has a chance to do things that his mentor would usually fuss at him for doing. And after that fiasco of a showdown with a rogue sorcerer in which both he and Prince Arthur got injured (and where Arthur found out all about Merlin’s being a warlock), it seems like it might just be time to finally figure out how to make healing magic work. Turns out, it’s not easy, nor is it something for which Merlin has a natural knack. So, being Merlin, he decides to practice on himself, stretching his abilities thinner and thinner until Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana are all worried about him–because of course it would be far too easy to actually tell them what’s going on, right?! But when Arthur is again endangered, it becomes clear that Merlin’s practicing has had more far-reaching consequences than even he originally thought.

While the idea of a Merlin fic focused primarily on healing magic didn’t initially appeal to me, I have loved some of BeyondTheStorm’s other fanfics and thus decided to give Healing Spells a try. I’m so glad I did, because I really loved the story. For one thing, the writing is just really readable and fun; it has a nice flow and a good balance of description and dialogue and such. But there are so many other interesting choices that the author made that just really increased my personal enjoyment of the story beyond just the quality of the writing. You come into the story with Arthur already knows about and accepts Merlin’s magic–there is a reveal scene, but it doesn’t come until about halfway through, where it’s presented as a flashback. So you’ve got this great dynamic of Arthur realizing everything Merlin’s done for him and who he really is, so there’s a whole new level of trust and closeness between the two that’s really great. You see a softer, more caring, yet still gruff and awkward (because this is Arthur, you know?) side to the prince which is really neat. And surprisingly (yet credibly) there’s a really interesting dynamic of Merlin having a harder time trusting Arthur and still keeping secrets even though he knows Arthur’s already accepted him. I also enjoyed that this was set in season 2, so that 1) a lot of the bad stuff that make it really hard for Merlin to trust Arthur with his secret haven’t happened, and 2) you get some great Morgana friendship (not a major focus of this fic, but it’s there and it’s nice. I miss this Morgana.). Of course, the downside of that is that you don’t get the awesomeness that is the Inner Circle of the Knights, but it works in this story. There are some great Merlin/Gwen friendship scenes; I can’t get enough of that friendship, truly! And a few fabulous fatherly Gaius moments. Plus, there’s a lot of interconnected plot, some big stuff that develops outside of Merlin’s experimentation that ends up influencing the consequences of his choices. So yeah, big plot and some pretty deep ideas are developed as well. All together, Healing Spells was a very interesting and enjoyable story, and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Camelot is being plagued by attacks from mysterious creatures from another world. At a loss for what to do, Merlin goes to the dragon and is given instructions to summon two great warriors from the same world as these creatures, men who fight these beings, men who show up in the legends of Camelot as heroes. When they arrive, the two brothers aren’t exactly what Merlin expected–nor are they particularly happy to have been summoned across dimensions. But once Sam and Dean understand the situation, they get on board with Merlin and together the three devise a plan so that King Arthur will let them lead the hunt for these mysterious creatures without knowing that the brothers are truly the legendary hunters from his childhood stories. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean are geeking out at being in Camelot with King Arthur, Merlin, and the knights of the Round Table–people who are just as much legends in Sam and Dean’s world as Sam and Dean are in Camelot!

I was very impressed with Men of Legend. The concepts are really well worked out. I mean, putting the two stories in alternate universes makes so much sense and is honestly more reasonable than making Merlin take place in Supernatural‘s history. Especially considering how much Sam and Dean seem to get dragged into AU’s anyhow. And the whole aspect of making each group be legendary to the other was quite interesting, especially as they got to spend time together and see each other as real people. The things that are legend-worthy are brought out, but so is the humanity, which is cool to see. I enjoyed the characterizations, which seemed pretty spot-on, as well as the interactions between the various parties. The story itself is a pleasant blend of genres, mixing some adventure and some hurt/comfort nicely–there’s enough action to keep things going, but you get Arthur and Dean being protective, too. And we’re working up to a reveal, which I believe is to be handled in a sequel–yay! Definitely a recommended fanfic, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Note: You can find Men of Legend at http://archiveofourown.org/works/748772/chapters/1396965. For those of you who don’t have an AO3 account, it is by invitation, but if you request an invite, you will typically get on within the next few days. It’s a great fanfic resource and definitely worth joining.